Tatsiana Chypsanava Wins Dr. Sylvia Earle Fellowship for Tūhoe Documentary
Vital Impacts has revealed the recipients of the $50,000 Environmental Photography Fellowships for 2026, along with eleven mentorships lasting one year. Tatsiana Chypsanava, a documentary photographer hailing from Aotearoa New Zealand, was awarded the Dr. Sylvia Earle Fellowship for her work with Ngāi Tūhoe, which emphasizes Indigenous stewardship of ancestral territories. Originally from Belarus, Chypsanava, born in 1980, has been engaged with the Tūhoe community since 2014. Her project features a photo essay, audio elements, drone imagery, and a historical timeline, culminating in a multimedia narrative and website. In 2025, she received the World Press Photo Award for "Te Urewera – The Living Ancestor of Tūhoe People." Founded in 2021, Vital Impacts has secured $3.5 million for conservation efforts.
Key facts
- Vital Impacts awarded $50,000 in Environmental Photography Fellowships for 2026.
- Tatsiana Chypsanava received the Dr. Sylvia Earle Fellowship.
- Chypsanava's project documents Ngāi Tūhoe and Te Urewera.
- She has been embedded in the Tūhoe community since 2014.
- The project includes photo essay, audio, drone footage, video interviews, and historical timeline.
- Dr. Pounamu Jade Aikman provides historical and cultural context.
- Chypsanava won the 2025 World Press Photo Award for the series.
- Vital Impacts was founded in 2021 by Ami Vitale and Eileen Mignoni.
Entities
Artists
- Tatsiana Chypsanava
- Ami Vitale
- Eileen Mignoni
- Dr. Pounamu Jade Aikman
- Alessia Glaviano
- Azu Nwagbogu
- Evgenia Arbugaeva
- Kathy Moran
- Pat Kane
- Dr. Jane Goodall
- Dr. Sylvia Earle
- Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
- Chico Mendes
- Madonna Thunder Hawk
- E.O. Wilson
- Ian Lemaiyan
Institutions
- Vital Impacts
- National Geographic
- PhotoVogue
- African Artists’ Foundation
- Lagos Photo Festival
- Pulitzer Center
- Wellcome Trust
- Eddie Adams Workshop
- Missouri Photo Workshop
- Foundry Photojournalism Workshop
- The New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
- New Zealand Geographic
- World Press Photo
- Royal Photographic Society
- North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame
- Conservation International
- Lenscratch
Locations
- Aotearoa New Zealand
- New Zealand
- Ruatoki
- Ruatāhuna
- Waikaremoana
- Te Urewera
- Belarus
- Northwest Ural